Hearts and Bullets: The Woman In The Book Cover

Chapter 4

Maxim found himself in awe as he caught a glimpse of the woman who was busy signing books, when he finally got into the conference room.
God, he couldn't be mistaken, but it was clearly her - Helen. His Helen!
His eyes fixed on her, capturing her every movement. His lips were open in awe, and he couldn't believe the moment. This was surely surreal.
He covered his face with the book and slapped himself, in a bid to wake himself up, if ever he was in a dream. But when he opened his eyes, she was still there, looking as beautiful as ever as the first time he met her.
He stopped himself from running to her and imprisoned his tiny, soft body in his arms.
God, he had been longing to cuddle in bed with that sweet, soft body next to his, his face on her head, breathing her fragrant feminine smell, every damn freaking night.
He took a deep breath. He wanted to pace back and forth, but he moved mountains to still himself.
But Jesus! Looking at the woman who had left an indelible mark on his life was exhilarating. She made all the cells in his body spring to life with a snap of a finger.
And as he moved closer to her, he felt as if his breathing got stuck in his throat; his chest wanted to explode with pent-up emotions.
His eyes never left her face, soaking up her exquisite beauty. He was silently hoping that she would glance in his direction, but she was too focused on signing the piles of books in front of her. Some readers brought more than one book for her to sign on.
It seemed like an eternity, but when finally it was his turn and he stood in front of her, he was catching his breath in wild anticipation. With shaking fingers, he gently laid his book on the table so she could sign it.
Without looking at him, she picked up the book.
"Hello, Helen..." His voice almost cracked when he whispered her name. He wasn't sure if he heard her alright.
She lifted her face to look at him, a sweet smile plastered on her lips. "Your name?" Her voice faltered a bit when she saw him.
He never missed that subtle reaction from her. For a moment, he felt his heart skip a beat. It was as if the world spun around, and he was transfixed as their eyes locked.
His gaze seared into her deep, brown eyes. Suddenly, flashes of wonderful memories flooded his consciousness. Her sweet laughter, as she buried her face in his neck while they made love, filled his ears.
He groaned as titillating sensations filled his every nerve fiber, setting his blood on fire. The sweet ache in his groin was becoming unbearable.
"Your name again?" Her voice awoke him from his own revelry, bringing him back to the present.
"Umm... Maxim," he almost stammered.
She opened the book and wrote on the vacant page.
He looked at her with longing while she signed his book. Oh, how he wanted to reach out his hand to gently caress her face.
She raised her face to him when she was done signing the book. "Thanks for reading my book, Maxim," she smiled at him and handed him his book.
His hands covered hers when he took the book from her, but she quickly withdrew her hands away from him.
He sighed deeply. But he didn't miss to notice the coldness of her hands.
When he first met her five years ago, she was sipping a glass of mango shake on their first date when some mango fibers stuck on her lips. He reached out to wipe her lips with his finger, but she immediately whisked his hand away.
His lips curled in amusement at the flashback of memory. He was trying to be romantic at that moment and impress his date, but she immediately drew her boundary.
Well, he did successfully smash that boundary later on just to get close to her.
He was hoping to see a clear semblance of recognition on her face, but apart from the reaction he saw from her when she saw him, there was no dead giveaway. He wasn't sure if she recognized him or not.
He regretted that he came to her book signing clean-shaven. He was sporting a beard when they met five years ago. He knew it could be a huge factor.
"How have you been, Helen?" he asked in a voice filled with longing.
Her brows cocked, as if confused. She stared at him blankly.
"I'm Maxim. Remember me?" He bent his back to bring his face closer to hers.
She was frozen for a moment, but then she shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I don't know you, mister."
He was about to speak more when she stopped him. "Next please..." She motioned to the person next to him to come over, and he was pushed to the side.
The next reader was very giddy when she talked to Helaena. She was raving about how she loved her books and how big of a fan she was.
Helaena never looked back at him, as if he wasn't there, as she entertained her next reader.
And reluctantly, he walked away, clutching the book on his chest.
His heartbeat was wild and loud. His ears were warm.
And as he walked in slow strides with a deafening heartbeat, the rush of memories from the not so distant past washed through him.

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Love,
Sharon Rose